The present invention relates to a metal profile for a vehicle body section.
The complicated structure which constitutes a vehicle body structure demands a lot of its components. Especially the profiles of the body structure have many different and sometimes even contradictory functions to fulfill.
The profiles should not only be inexpensive and easy to manufacture and put together but also be robust in order to provide enough safety for passengers in the vehicle. Pipes or profiles similar to pipes present an alternative solution to the above outlined problem.
However, this kind of state of the art profiles usually has two major disadvantages. The bending strength, which is important especially in case of a crash, is not as strong relative to other profiles which are more complicated and more expensive to manufacture. The other disadvantage is that the attachment of other sections becomes difficult.
Typically, existing profiles consist of quite a number of details that are mounted together in order to provide a body structure that will comply with different demands regarding specific attachments. DE 401 8592 A1 discloses a vehicle body structure illustrating a few structural elements provided with a plurality of means for attaching various members to the structure. The manufacturing of such a complicated structure has the disadvantage of being expensive, which is a problem in today's competitive car industry. Hence there is a need for providing an easier and simpler body structure which nonetheless provides excellent performance.
A further requirement related to the attachment of other sections is that the profiles will provide support and strength for the sections allowing e.g. higher stiffness on attaching members.
Adding thickness to the profile gauge could solve the other problem related to the bending strength of the profile. However, the added thickness will add weight to the structure, which might lead to an increase in fuel consumption.